MARGAO
At the last date of hearing, the Crime Branch had sought three days time to file reply in the anticipatory bail applications filed by the Kavlekar brothers in the gambling case, prompting Sessions Judge B P Deshpande to adjourn the matter to Friday and extending the interim bail to the Leader of the Opposition.
When the bail plea came up for hearing on Friday morning before Judge B P Deshpande, defense lawyer, Adv Rajiv Gomes, appearing for Babal Kavlekar, advanced arguments with a plea to grant to anticipatory bail to his client.
It was then the turn of Public prosecutor Ladislav Fernandes to argue on behalf the State, but the prosecutor made a straight submission to the Judge, expressing his inability to argue on grounds that the crime branch IO has not reached the court with the reply. He also claimed that the Crime Branch officers have still not come with the case papers of the case. The police, attached to the Public prosecutor's office, were frantically trying to call the Crime Branch, only to be told that PI Vishvesh Karpe had already left for the Margao court.
It was only when Judge Deshpande was in the process of adjourning the matter to October 4 morning for arguments, PI Vishvesh Karpe made his appearance felt in the court with the say, but the case papers were still
on the way. It was only around 1 pm that the Crime Branch personnel arrived with two bags full of case papers and both the Public Prosecutor and PI Karpe were seen huddled together in the PP's room discussing about the case.
Incidentally, PI Karpe claimed that he could not make it to the Sessions Court since he was preoccupied in the State Police Complaint Authority (SPCA) regarding some matter.
Sources said that Public Prosecutor Ladislav Fernandes has told the Crime Branch officials not to take further chances and come with the case papers concerning the gambling case against the Kavlekar brothers on October 3 itself.
